Mountain GOAT: Jake Blauvelt, Naturally Gifted in the Backcountry

Originally published in the 30th Anniversary Issue of SNOWBOARDER Magazine, Mountain GOATS celebrates the most influential snowboarders of the last thirty years (1987-2017), otherwise known as the Greatest Of All Time list. With over 70 men and women riding into the ranks of the Mountain GOATS, check back as we release their bios and celebrated accolades over the course of the next few weeks!

MOUNTAIN GOAT: Jake Blauvelt

In the early 2000s, Jake Blauvelt had a choice to make—either remain embedded in the east coast contest scene after a big US Open slopestyle win and continue hucking himself off of icy park booters until he burned out or call the shot that would dictate his career and his legacy in professional snowboarding. Luckily for us, Blauvelt took a chance and made the correct choice. Jake disappeared into the backcountry with famed Forum legend Devun Walsh and honed in his skills in deep snow, learning to shithook and stomp in waist-deep powder. When he emerged, Blauvelt was one of the most powder-proficient pros in the business.

In the next decade, he would produce multiple video parts with Forum, Absinthe and SNOWBOARDER Magazine in which pat-downs and first tracks outnumbered cheese wedges and big backcountry builds, but Blauvelt's proverbial rocket ship into the pro ranks was certainly his film Naturally, in which he was both the subject and the star. The film officially elevated Jake to the elite ranks of his peers on this list.

Currently, Jake is still at it out-of-bounds and still focuses on more natural terrain and bringing freestyle and big mountain riding to new heights. Kudos, Jake. And thank you, from the entire snowboarding community, for taking a calculated risk and changing the game forever.